


Hercules Needs to Know

by FaithAndATypeWriter



Category: Disney - All Media Types, Hercules (1997)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Behind the Scenes, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, More Backstory for Meg, Near Death Experiences, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2019-06-06
Packaged: 2020-04-11 21:39:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19118215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaithAndATypeWriter/pseuds/FaithAndATypeWriter
Summary: Meg sends Hercules off to fight Hades, fully knowing that she's unlikely to still be there when he gets back.  She  had saved him from the column, but she knew that she'd already crushed him and when she was gone he would never know why.  He would be left confused and without answers about who she really was and why she did the things she did...and she didn't want him to carry any guilt--because she knew he still believed he could save her, and she wanted him to know that he hadn't failed.





	1. He Already Saved Me

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like Meg deserved to have someone know that she had been Hades' slave and not a willing partner to his evil plot. As much as I absolutely love this movie, you just can't fit everything you'd like to see in the span of a single film. So...this is a message I thought Meg would have wanted passed on to Hercules--and because I just don't do character death, we'll also go a little farther and end it on a more hopeful note.  
> Blessings,  
> FaithAndATypeWriter

“You’re going to be okay. I promise.” 

 

Hercules raced off with Pegasus to Mount Olympus to fight Hades.  Meg let him believe that he could keep the promise he made to her.  She knew that if she reminded him of the truth Hercules would never leave.

 

Phil knelt beside her and awkwardly tried to make her more comfortable.  Meg knew he felt uncomfortable himself. It was no secret that Meg had aggravated him.  She had heard the term “fur wedgie” tossed around at some points, though she couldn’t be certain it was aimed at her.  She was surprised, however, to find a sense of grief about Phil now. Saving Hercules might have caused his opinion of her to alter.  She still didn’t think she completely deserved it. But Hercules deserved to know the full truth, and Phil just might be ready now to deliver it.  He was her only choice.

 

“Phil…” she gasped.

 

“Hey,” Phil’s voice warbled a bit, “just rest, okay?  The kid’ll be back before you know it.”

 

Meg shook her head. “Please… he needs to know.”

 

Phil visibly swallowed. “Whatever it is, you can tell him yourself.”

 

“We both know I won’t be able to.” Meg’s statement seemed to break through Phil’s feigned optimism.  When he didn’t answer, Meg took it as her cue to begin her story.

 

“When I was younger,” she started, “I fell in love with a man.  He became my whole world and I trusted him more than anyone else I’d ever known. I dreamed of growing old with him and the kind of life we would have together… I thought he was in love with me.”

 

Meg’s voice was weak but it was steady.  “He became very sick and very quickly my world and my dreams fell apart around me.  I was devastated by the thought of losing all that I’d hoped we’d have together. But most of all, I was devastated for him.  I wanted him to have the chance to live, to do all the things that he told me he dreamed about. I knew he was scared. I couldn’t stand to see the fear in his eyes.  Even now, I can’t help but remember the awful sight.

 

“I took care of him.  I was with him. I reassured him constantly that I still loved him. Then an opportunity came, I found--” Meg caught her breath as pain coursed through her.  “I… that’s when I… I sold myself to Hades. To spare his life, I gave up my own and I became Hades’ slave.”

 

Phil’s face morphed into a horror struck expression.  Meg didn’t try to guess what he was most horrified by, focusing instead on finishing her tale.

 

“He regained his health, and he praised me for saving his life,” Meg said, “but he never asked how I managed to make it happen.”

 

Meg tried to draw more breath but it was becoming more difficult.  “As soon as he was well he started to become more distant. I could see the stars in his eyes, ready to take on his next adventure.  It was what I wanted for him. What I didn’t expect was for him to turn to me days later and say that now that he was well he wanted more out of life than I could give him.  There was a woman in our village that was easily the most beautiful in five city states. She scorned him constantly when he was sick, but when he was well she found him handsome and adventurous.  He took her and left to pursue the dreams he shared with me. But...with her... he decided to share them with her.”

 

Phil closed his eyes and shook his head.  “Kid… you don’t have to tell me this--”

 

“Yes, I do.” Meg argued.  “Hercules has to know! When I met Hercules I didn’t have a life anymore--Hades owned it.  And I barely cared about anything anymore. My trust had been destroyed by the only person that had ever shown compassion towards me and the only person that I dared enough to pour my compassion into.  My deepest wish was to have my freedom so that I could be away from anyone else that could hurt me again.”

 

Meg grimaced.  She’d raised her voice in a strength of passion she’d thought depleted.  “Hercules changed that. Even when I didn’t want him to, he gave me hope that I could trust someone again.  That not all people were the same.”

 

Meg made sure that Phil was looking into her eyes as she readied herself for what she needed to say.  “When Hercules gets back, tell him that he saved me. He gave me back my life and more. I would have been lost if not for him.  Pr...Promise me… Promise me you’ll tell him.”

 

Phil’s eyes were wet and he swallowed hard again.

 

“I promise,” he said.

 

With that Meg grimaced through another wave of pain and Phil went to hold her hand.


	2. Taking Stock

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small note--I call the people of Thebes the Thebesers because Thebes seems like an Ancient Greece version of a New York City sketch and I think it sounds like New Yorkers.

The celebration in Thebes was only growing as the night went on.  The city still lay in shambles, but the Thebesers were used to those living conditions.  It would take more than a few fires and unstable stone structures to keep them from a good party.  In fact, the fires lent the perfect lighting to the affair--and they weren’t so bright as to interfere with the crowd admiring the image of their hero painted in the stars.

 

Hercules was overjoyed and celebrated with the rest of them.  He, more than anyone, had reason to celebrate. He’d prevented Titanic destruction, rescued his immortal family, and saved the love of his life.  Eventually, however, the day began to catch up with him. He mingled and exchanged pleasantries with all his exuberant well wishers, but he began to weave his way through the crowd.  The longer it was taking him, the more his anxieties grew--despite his attempts to tell himself he was being foolish.

 

Finally, he came to a stop when he found Megara sitting beside his adoptive mother.  Meg and Alcmene looked like they were having a lively conversation and Hercules couldn’t help but smile when Meg threw her head back and laughed at something his mother had said.  He had only watched them for a few moments when Meg looked his way and caught him staring. 

 

She quietly excused herself from Alcmene and headed over to Hercules.

 

“What’s the look, Wonderboy?” she asked with a smirk.

 

“Wha--what look?” Hercules stuttered.

 

He tried to look everywhere but at Meg but failed spectacularly.  Meg already looked smug in victory.

 

“That look right there…” she trailed off as she playfully poked her finger between his furrowed eyebrows.

 

Hercules caught her hand as she pulled away and caressed it as his eyes began to burn.  When he looked up again, Meg’s face had lost its smugness and she looked concerned.

 

“Hercules…” her question trailed off as Hercules pulled her closer and lead them both away from the crowd and into a more secluded alleyway.

 

They ignored a few wolf whistles and Hercules merely pulled her deeper into the shadows.  He briefly checked their privacy before wrapping her in his arms.

 

Meg was a little startled but happily returned the hug, burrowing her face into his chest.  It wasn’t until she felt him shaking that she began to truly doubt that this was just a romantic stolen moment.

 

“Hercules?”  she looked up to see silent tears spreading down his cheeks.  Meg reached up to wipe the tears away. “What is it?”

 

“Are you still hurting?” Hercules finally asked.  “I mean, I know that you’re alive and that all the… I don’t know!  Fatalness. Fatalness? Is that a thing? I don’t know, but it’s gone.  Your not going to die again.” Hercules choked on his words. “But I mean, did all your injuries go away? I should have asked earlier…”

 

“I’m fine,” Meg interrupted his rant, “I promise.”

 

Hercules searched her face for a moment. Maybe trying to see if there was anything but truth in her statement?  Whatever he was looking for, he leaned down so that he could hold her closer, cradling her back and her head and resting his own head in her fluffy hair.  Meg returned his embrace and took a moment to take stock for herself.

 

“Some day, huh, Wonderboy?” she asked.

 

She felt him nod his head in her hair and tighten his hold around her.

 

“Some day,” he muttered.

 

They were quiet for a moment before Hercules whispered to her.  “Phil told me. Before I went to the Underworld.”

 

Meg tensed a little but he enveloped her more fully in his arms until she relaxed.

 

After a moment she whispered back, “Can you forgive me?  For… Hades? Even though I did it for love...it wasn’t right.  What I did was wrong and I was foolish to think that making a deal with the devil was alright if it came from good intentions.”

 

“I already forgave you,” Hercules kissed the top of her head.  “My heart just breaks for what you went through.”

 

After a moment he went on.  “Can you forgive me? I knew people would get hurt when I made pretty much the same deal with Hades.  I will always think back and wonder what I could have done differently so I could have saved you and protected the people.”

 

When he nestled his cheek into her hair she could feel the twitch of his smile.  “But then, I think we’ve already gone well beyond proving that people do crazy things when they’re in love.”

 

Meg chuckled and squeezed him tight for a moment.  “I’ll never see your guilt in this--just mine-- but if you need me to forgive you than I do.”

 

The noise from the celebration was loud everywhere, but it still felt slightly muted in their alley.  The momentary calm wrapped around them and Meg allowed herself to lower her guard. They both let out a shaky breath at the same time and tried to laugh at themselves but just couldn’t manage it.

 

“I love you, Meg,” Hercules whispered, “I never want to see you hurt like that again.”

 

“I know,” she whispered back, “I hated seeing you beat up.  I never want to see a column coming down on you again--or anything else for that matter.  I love you, too.”

 

Hercules kissed her forehead before leaning back enough to see her eyes.  “I may have made my intentions known already, but for the sake of being painfully clear…” he pecked a kiss to her lips. “Marry me?”

 

“Yes,” Meg smiled, “to be painfully clear.”

 

Hercules smiled and she watched as his eyes danced.  He loved the hope and joy shining in her eyes. He’d thought they were beautiful when they’d met, but he hadn’t known what he’d been missing.

 

“I am going to make a nuisance of myself to you,” he promised, “and I’m going to be very clingy for quite some time.”

 

She smirked, “the great hero of Greece--tall, tan, and buff--clinging to me… I think I can handle it.”

 

Hercules smiled and leaned down to kiss her.  Meg wrapped her arms more securely around him and returned the kiss with her own bright smile.  They let the revelers carry on around them. While they distantly knew that they might endure Phil’s teasing later, it would be worth it.  They both settled into their embrace and let the other’s presence soothe their concerns. Hercules feathered a few kisses over Megs cheeks and brow before turning back to her mouth.

 

“I promised you’d be okay,” he whispered against her lips.

 

“That you did,” Meg whispered back before kissing him again.

 


End file.
